Sleeve package

ABSTRACT

An improved package is described to pack and distribute articles such as glass tumblers or a variety of other articles having an inner paperboard sleeve and an outer envelope such as a shrink film envelope. The sleeve is formed by cutting and scoring flat paperboard forming a foldable wrap-around sleeve to initially group and contain the packaged articles. The improved sleeve has one or more curved flexible article gripping panels formed by the use of curved score lines the sleeve blank. The sleeve with the gripping panel is wrapped around the articles or may be preformed and loaded with the articles. After application, the sleeve grips the articles providing a stable package as an outerwrapper is slipped over the filled sleeve and is shrunk or otherwise drawn tightly against the articles and the sleeve.

[ Sept. 26, 1972 SLEEVE PACKAGE Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Norman N. Holland Inventor:

Richard K. Oglesbee, Lancaster, Ohio 1 Assignee: Anchor Hocking Corporation, Lan- [57] ABSTRACT An improved package is described to pack and discaster, Ohio [22] Filed: Dec. 16, 1970 tribute articles such as glass tumblers or a variety of other articles having an inner paperboard sleeve and Appl' 98823 an outer envelope such'as a shrink film envelope. The

sleeve is formed by cutting and scoring flat paperboard forming a foldable wrap-around sleeve to initially group and contain the packaged articles. The improved sleeve has one or more curved flexible article gripping panels formed by the use of curved score lines the sleeve blank. The sleeve with the gripping panel is wrapped around the articles or may be premm MH49 95 2 26%2 .w B63 8 5 5 .M 4 63 5R 27 d6 5 68 M m m6 0 .0 m2 Wmh u r Na "e "us I h l d s m U.mF 1]] 218 555 [56] References Cited formed and loaded with the articles. After application,

UNITED STATES PATENTS the sleeve grips the articles providing a stable package as an outerwrapper is slipped over the filled sleeve and is shrunk or otherwise drawn tightly against the articles and the sleeve.

CXXX 53U 63 5 65% 3%20 eiu v... l.w m uanu GGED 4079 5786 99009 1111 6234 365 4038 3900 8953 23 3 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SLEEVE PACKAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in packages of the type widely used for shipping and displaying articles such as glassware or other items. More particularly, it relates to an improved cut and scored wrap-around paperboard sleeve which forms a package in combination with an outer shrink film or other wrapper.

A variety of packageslare now in use in which a transparent shrink film such as polyethylene film or the like is used in forming packages in combination with inner paperboard sleevesor other partial inner containers. In the related packaging operation, the paperboard portion of the package is normally supplied to the packaging station in a flat partially completed form so that it may be folded or other wise erected to receive and to temporarily position and retain the articles being packed. A particularly useful form of inner container or wrapper comprises a wrap-around sleeve. Such sleeves are usually supplied as a flat blank with or without the ends glued together to form thesleeve-like wrapper. The sleeves are then wrapped around or filled with the articles to temporarily restrain them as an outer shrink film envelope or sleeve is then slipped over the filled sleeve and is shrunk into tight engagement with the combined sleeve and articles. The improved sleeve, in accordance with the present invention, adds a curved yieldable article gripping panel to the wrap-around sleeve so that the sleeve tightly grips the articles as soon as they are positioned therein. This facilitates the sleeve wrapping operation and also permits the filled sleeve to be more easily and more rapidly moved to and handled at a shrink film applying station.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved sleeve-type package.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved and more easily handled package including an inner paperboard wrapper and an outer envelope Another object of the present invention is to provide a combined paperboard andshrink film package which utilizes a minimum quantity of paperboard which is more easily handled during the application of the shrink film.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a completed package in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the improved sleeve portion of the package of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken along lines 3-3 and 44 upon FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a'top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the cut and scored paperboard blank for the improved sleeve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates a typical shrink film package I in which the packaged articles 2 are held within a paperboard sleeve 3 and where the sleeve 3 and articles 2 are contained within an outer shrink film envelope 4. The inner sleeve 3 in the preferred embodiment of this package comprises a paperboard blank cut from fiat stock and cut and scored at 5 and 6 to form the hollow sleeve shape illustrated. The outer shrink film layer 4 is formed by placing a shrink film envelope over the packed sleeve 3 and by then heating the package 1 to draw the shrink film into tight gripping relationship with the articles 2 and the paperboard sleeve 3. The package 1 illustrated is shown containing four glass or plastic tumblers 2. In packing articles of this general type or a variety of other articles, they are first slipped into the paperboard sleeve 3 or the sleeve 3 is wrapped around the articles'2 with the sleeve ends 7 being fastened together with tape or adhesive or another fastening means.

The improved sleeve 3, in accordance with the present invention, is seen to have a curved or inwardly bulged lower section 8 formed from the overlapping end panels 9 of the blank. The curved shape of these panels 9 is attained by providing curved score lines 6 defining the panel edges. The score lines, as 6 illustrated in FIG. 5, may be generally arcuate defining a portion of a circle where the curvature may be designated in the form of the radius of the circle.

It is seen that folding a blank 3, in accordance with FIG. 5, along its score lines including the curved score lines 6 for the end panels 9 results in the above described and illustrated inner bulging of thelower section of the sleeve. This curvedsleeve section 8 will flex and conform during the wrap-around operation to the necessary dimensions of the articles 2 with the exact final curvature of the panel cross-section being dictated by the pressure of the articles 2 against the inwardly bulging panels 9. i

A preferred methodof applying the sleeve 3 places the articles within the partially erected blank folded at inner score lines 5 and then bends the end flaps 9 downwardly into engagement with the articles thereby permitting the curved score lines 6 to effectively determine the final cushioning and gripping action on the articles 2. When the folding has been completed and the blank ends 7 taped or otherwise fastened together, the articles 2 within the sleeve 3 will be seen to be lightly gripped permitting the articles 2 and the sleeve 3 to be handled as a unit during the subsequent application of the shrink film 4 to the package 1. Alternatively, a sleeve-like fastened blank may be slipped over the assembled tumblers or other articles.

While one curved section 8 has been illustrated and described and has been found to be satisfactory for packages of the general type illustrated, the use of additional curved score lines providing a plurality of curved panels of this type may also be utilized to obtain the improved result.

It will be seen that an improved combination paperboard and shrink film package has been provided where an improved inner paperboard sleeve provides increased package stability both during and after the completion of the package using the outer shrink film envelope. These improvements are obtained by the use of an improved sleeve or inner wrapper design incorporating changes which may be used with or applied to existing packaging operations and apparatus.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1 An improved sealed package for holding a plurality of generally cylindrical frangible articles under pressure in yieldable engagement in fixed position with one another and with the package comprising-the combination of an elongated paperboard packingsleeve having transverse scored fold lines defining at least four panels, said sleeve being folded vwith adjacent panels surrounding and squeezing said sleeve against the articles.

2. The package as claimed in claim 1, in which said film comprises polyethylene.

3. The package as claimed in claim 1,,in which said one side comprises the adhered sleeve panels. 

1. An improved sealed package for holding a plurality of generally cylindrical frangible articles under pressure in yieldable engagement in fixed position with one another and with the package comprising the combination of an elongated paperboard packing sleeve having transverse scored fold lines defining at least four panels, said sleeve being folded with adjacent panels generally at right angles to one another, the end panels on said sleeve having their free edges fastened together to form a sleeve surrounding said articles, an adjacent pair of said score lines at opposite edges of one side of said sleeve being generally arcuate in shape with their central portions being curved toward one another thereby causing said one side to bulge inwardly against at least a portion of said articles thereby urging the articles against one another and against other sides of the sleeve, and an outer heat shrunk film wrapping member surrounding and squeezing said sleeve against the articles.
 2. The package as claimed in claim 1, in which said film comprises polyethylene.
 3. The package as claimed in claim 1, in which said one side comprises the adhered sleeve panels. 